1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a technique for predicting a disease that one is predisposed to, based on physical information for each individual, and selecting the optimal examination item by taking the results of those predictions into account.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent rapid development of statistical approaches such as data mining, and enhancement of a variety of data used in the statistical approaches, it has become possible to predict various changes in condition of an individual body. Predictions of future changes in condition are used for medical policy, instructions for maintenance or improvement of health, and the like.
For example, a technique for predicting life expectancy that an individual is expected to live healthily (healthy life expectancy) based on physical information of the individual, and making use of the prediction results for establishment of a health-management plan and prediction of the effects of execution of the health-management plan, is presented (e.g. cf. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2003-167959). This technique utilizes physical information on an individual body, such as daily living habits related to smoking, drinking and exercise and diagnostic results of obesity, hyperpiesia, hyperlipemia, hyperglycemia, hyperuricemia and so on. Moreover, based on a certain population having a combination of the physical information, basic data is prepared, in which the probability that an individual having the combination of the physical information can live in a healthy condition is sectionalized for each age. For example, basic data as to what percent for each age group of people who smoke, drink and are obese live in a healthy condition, when age 0 is 100%, is prepared. A predicted value of healthy life expectation is calculated by applying individual physical information to this basic data. Then, the degree of future development of a disease or a disorder is determined based on the predicted value of healthy life expectation, and a plan for setting intervals for performing health diagnoses or the like is created based on the determination result.
Further, for example, a technique for predicting the probability of development of a predetermined disease based on individual physical information, and displaying by color-coding the prediction results along with values of the physical information, is presented (e.g. cf. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication 2005-49921). This technique is to detect the development probability of diabetes in a statistical approach by using physical information such as BMI (Body Mass Index) and blood glucose level, and specify the risk by color-coding the values of the physical information based on the development probability. This color-coded display is made use of when a physician or the like suspects disease development or gives an instruction for lifestyle.
In a current medical examination for detecting a disease, all subjects undergo an examination with the same content without variation to detect a specific disease. For example, the subject generally undergoes an X-ray barium contrast examination without variation for the purpose of detecting stomach cancer. However, predispositions to diseases vary greatly among individuals. Some people are likely to develop a certain disease, but other people are not likely to develop that disease and likely to develop another disease instead. Therefore, in the current situation in which all subjects undergo the same examination without variation for the purpose of detecting the same disease without variation, the optimal examination for an individual is not performed, so that many diseases may be missed. In addition, undergoing an examination that is not necessary to an individual undergoing medical examination results in imposing superfluous physical, psychological and even financial burdens on the individual.
With the technique for predicting healthy life expectancy of an individual based on physical information of the individual, and making use of the prediction result for establishment of a health-management plan and prediction of the effect of execution of the health-management plan, it is possible to conceptualize a certain degree of disease development from the healthy life expectation. However, it is impossible to predict what type of disease will develop, from the conceptualization alone. Therefore, it is impossible to select an examination that the individual should take. Meanwhile, with the technique for predicting the development probability of a predetermined disease based on individual physical information and displaying by color-coding the prediction result and the physical information, it is possible to predict the development probability for each disease. However, it cannot be said that how to handle the prediction result is established. Therefore, the prediction result of the disease development probability remains only a reference. In other words, eventually, the same examination will be taken without variation for the purpose of detecting the same disease without variation.
As stated above, with the conventional techniques, it becomes possible to predict various state changes related to an individual body by using a statistical approach, but it is difficult to select the optimal examination item for each individual. Therefore, it is impossible to solve the current problem that many diseases are missed and superfluous physical, psychological and even financial burdens are imposed on a person undergoing medical examination.